A DMCA takedown notice, allegedly targeting "unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry's Mod games," was reportedly sent to Garry Newman, the creator of Garry's Mod. The sender's identity remains unclear, despite initial reports implicating Invisible Narratives, the studio behind the Skibidi Toilet movie and TV franchises. A Discord profile seemingly belonging to the Skibidi Toilet creator has since denied sending the notice, as reported by Dexerto.

This situation is rife with irony. The Skibidi Toilet YouTube series, known for its massive Gen Alpha meme status, was originally created using assets from Garry's Mod, a mod for Valve's Half-Life 2. The series' creator, Alexey Gerasimov (DaFuq!?Boom!), uses Valve's Source Filmmaker to port Garry's Mod assets. The resulting popularity spawned merchandise and film/TV deals with Invisible Narratives.

The DMCA notice, as reported by Garry Newman on the s&box Discord server, claims copyright ownership over characters like "Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, Titan TV Man, and Skibidi Toilet," citing DaFuq!?Boom! as the original source. This is ironic given the series' origins in Garry's Mod assets.

Invisible Narratives' claim is questionable considering Valve's implicit approval of Garry's Mod, which was published as a standalone game in 2006. Valve, as the owner of Half-Life 2's assets, arguably holds a stronger claim than Invisible Narratives.

Following the public disclosure, DaFuq!?Boom! denied involvement on the s&box Discord, expressing confusion and a desire to contact Garry Newman. The DMCA notice was reportedly sent "on behalf of copyright holder: Invisible Narratives, LLC," citing copyright registration in 2023 for "Titan Cameraman and 3 Other Unpublished Works."

The situation remains unresolved, with the sender's identity and the validity of the claims uncertain. This isn't DaFuq!?Boom!'s first brush with copyright disputes. Last September, they issued multiple copyright strikes against GameToons, a similar YouTuber, eventually reaching an undisclosed settlement. The current situation highlights the complexities of copyright in the age of user-generated content and viral memes.